Turn off notifications in Instagram settings on your phone

Open Instagram and tap your profile icon in the bottom right. Go to Settings and privacy, then Notifications. You'll see a list of notification types — push notifications, email notifications, and SMS notifications. Each one has a toggle you can switch off individually, or you can disable all of them at once by turning off "Push notifications" at the top.

The exact path varies slightly between iPhone and Android, but the principle is the same: Instagram's own settings let you control what reaches your phone. This is the fastest way to stop most notifications without uninstalling the app or changing your phone's system settings.

If you want to keep some notifications but silence others, you can be selective. For example, you might turn off "Likes and comments on your posts" but leave "Messages" on so you don't miss direct messages from people you know.

Key Takeaways

  • Instagram's notification settings let you turn off push notifications, email notifications, and SMS notifications separately or all at once.
  • You can disable specific notification types — like comments, likes, or story replies — without turning off all notifications.
  • Your phone's system notification settings override Instagram's app settings, so turning off notifications in both places ensures they stop.
  • Muting individual accounts or turning off notifications for specific people is different from turning off all notifications and works when you want to stay connected but reduce noise from certain sources.

Disable notifications by notification type in Instagram

Instagram groups notifications into categories so you can silence what bothers you most. In Settings and privacy > Notifications, you'll see options like "Likes and comments on your posts," "Story replies," "Messages," "Suggested posts," and "Reminders." Each has its own toggle.

Many people turn off "Suggested posts" and "Reminders" first — these are Instagram trying to pull you back into the app. Turning these off removes a major source of unnecessary notifications without affecting messages from real people. You can leave "Messages" on if you want to know when someone writes to you directly.

If you use Instagram for work or community management, you might keep "Messages" and "Comments on your posts" but turn off everything else. The point is that you don't have to choose between all notifications or none — you can customize it to match how you actually use the app.

Control notifications through your phone's system settings

Even if you turn off notifications in Instagram's app settings, your phone's operating system can still send them. On iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications > Instagram and toggle off "Allow Notifications." On Android, go to Settings > Apps > Instagram > Notifications and turn off "Allow notifications."

Your phone's system settings override the app's settings. If Instagram's app settings say notifications are on but your phone's system settings say they're off, your phone wins — you won't get notifications. This is useful if you want a backup layer of control, or if Instagram's settings aren't working the way you expect.

You can also use your phone's system settings to control how notifications appear — whether they make sound, vibrate, show on your lock screen, or appear as a banner. This gives you finer control than Instagram's app settings alone.

Mute notifications from specific people or accounts

If you want to stay on Instagram but reduce notifications from certain people, you can mute them without unfollowing or blocking. Go to that person's profile, tap the three dots in the top right, and select "Mute." You can choose to mute their posts, their stories, or both. You can also mute their notifications specifically so you see their posts in your feed but don't get alerted when they post.

This is different from turning off all notifications — it's a way to stay connected to people you care about while silencing the accounts that send you the most noise. You can mute as many accounts as you want, and the person you muted won't know.

If you find yourself muting dozens of accounts, that's a sign that turning off notifications entirely might be better for you. Muting works best when you're selective about it, not when you're using it to silence most of your feed.

Turn off notifications for specific notification categories

Beyond the main toggles, Instagram lets you fine-tune what counts as a notification. In Settings and privacy > Notifications > Likes and comments, you can choose whether you want to be notified about likes and comments from everyone, only people you follow, or only close friends. Similar options exist for other notification types.

For example, you might turn off notifications for likes and comments from people you don't follow — this cuts out a lot of noise from strangers while keeping you informed about engagement from your actual followers. You can set different rules for different notification types.

This approach takes more time to set up than just turning everything off, but it's useful if you want to stay engaged with Instagram without being interrupted constantly. It's a middle ground between "all notifications on" and "all notifications off."

What happens when you turn off notifications

When you turn off notifications, Instagram stops sending alerts to your phone, but the app itself keeps working normally. You can still open Instagram and see your feed, messages, and activity whenever you want. You just won't get a ping telling you to open it.

Turning off notifications doesn't delete your account, change your privacy settings, or affect anything else about how Instagram works. It only stops the alerts. If someone sends you a message, it will still be there waiting for you when you open the app — you just won't be notified about it immediately.

Some people turn off notifications entirely and check Instagram on their own schedule. Others turn off most notifications but keep messages on. There's no right answer — it depends on how you want to use the app and how much interruption you're comfortable with.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will people know if I turn off notifications from them?

No. Turning off notifications is private — the other person won't see that you've muted them or disabled notifications. They won't know whether you read their message immediately or hours later. The only exception is if you use Instagram's "read receipts" feature in messages, which shows when you've seen a message, but that's a separate setting.

Can I turn off notifications for messages but keep them for everything else?

Yes. In Settings and privacy > Notifications, you can toggle off specific notification types individually. You could turn off "Likes and comments" and "Suggested posts" but leave "Messages" on. This way you'll only get notified when someone sends you a direct message.

What if I turn off notifications and then change my mind?

Go back to Settings and privacy > Notifications and toggle the notifications back on. You can turn them all back on at once or re-enable only the types you want. There's no waiting period or confirmation — the change takes effect immediately.

Do I need to turn off notifications in both Instagram settings and my phone settings?

You only need to turn them off in one place, but turning them off in both ensures they stay off. If you turn off notifications in Instagram but leave them on in your phone's system settings, you might still get some alerts. For complete silence, disable them in both places.

Will turning off notifications affect my messages or direct chats?

Messages will still arrive and be stored in your inbox. You just won't get a notification alerting you to them. If you want to keep getting notified about messages but turn off everything else, you can toggle off other notification types while leaving "Messages" on.